Armstrong should focus on remorse

Updated 12:00 am, Thursday, January 24, 2013

Lance Armstrong admitted that he had for years led an elaborate doping effort. Yet more than one observer noted that the former champion’s confession seemed to be lacking in authentic remorse.

Lance Armstrong admitted that he had for years led an elaborate doping effort. Yet more than one observer noted that the former champion’s confession seemed to be lacking in authentic remorse.

Photo: File Photo, Associated Press

Armstrong should focus on remorse

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Sports fans can be very forgiving. Think of Michael Vick, who served a 20-month sentence for a federal dogfighting conviction, yet was able to come back — after much public contrition and work on behalf of the Humane Society of the United States — to a career in the NFL.

Sports fans can also be very forgetful. Think of Ray Lewis, who pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in a murder case 13 years ago that few viewers of this year's Super Bowl will remember.

Lance Armstrong falls in the latter category. His offense is all the worse because in addition to all the years of aggressively denying illicit activity, he engaged in a campaign to vilify and legally bully his accusers in the press, on his own cycling team and among his friends.

In his interview with Oprah Winfrey last week, Armstrong admitted that, yes, he had for years led an elaborate doping effort. Yet more than one observer noted that the former champion's confession seemed to be lacking in authentic remorse.

Winfrey's couch provided a surprisingly rough start on the road to public redemption. Too much of what Armstrong had to say seemed geared toward his return to athletic competition, such as his acknowledgement that while he deserved to be punished, he didn't believe he deserved a “death penalty” from triathlon or marathon events.

The Livestrong Foundation that Armstrong founded has supported millions of cancer patients and survivors. Armstrong — even without performance-enhancing drugs — has been an inspiration to millions more. Having masterminded a scheme to evade his sport's drug-testing regime, he is now in a position to help clean it up.

There's plenty of good will for Armstrong to build on. But instead of seeking a reduced punishment for himself, he'll need to show greater interest in mending relations with those he misled or abused and repairing the sport he helped taint.